Jeff Everroad doesn’t remember when his late daughter Kristina became a huge sprint car fan.
All he knows, it was her dream to own a full bore 410 non-wing sprint car. The team was set to race at Bloomington Speedway on April 20 as Kristina’s step-brother Jacob Owens made her dream one step closer when he was racing a three-quarter midget car for the first-time.
While it’s not a fire-breathing sprint car, it’s a step forward as Kristina’s family honors her wishes. Unfortunately, Kristina was not physically present at Bloomington, but her presence was felt in the pit area. But it was a rough start for the tribute car as Jacob flipped the car in practice the first night.
Thankfully, he was OK, but the car was damaged enough they could not race at Bloomington nor the next night at Thunder Valley Speedway in Salem.
The team’s fortunes started to turn around at Twin Cities Raceway Park in Vernon on May 5 when Owens came home with a 13th-place finish. Their next scheduled race at Gas City was rained out. The team will race close to their home on June 12 at the Jennings County Fairgrounds in North Vernon in the UMRA King of the Midgets Series.
Kristina Everroad Bauman was 31 when she passed away from cancer in 2016.
“Kristina was a diehard non-wing sprintcar fan. She loved them. I really don’t remember how old she was the first time she went, but she went to Funfest and watched the sprint cars about a month before her death in 2016,” said her father Jeff, who says he has blocked out a lot of her illness because it has been so difficult to talk about.
“One of her favorite drivers when she was younger was Jason Knoke. He even surprised her at her 16th birthday party. She thought that was best thing to happen to her. I remember one night at Twin Cities, he was leading the feature, I think, and Hud Cone spun him out. She booed Hud Cone for years later. She went to Florida with us in 2016 and watched USAC. She got to talk to Bryan Clauson. She thought it was cool he was sponsored by American Cancer Treatment Centers she got to talk to him and bought her and I a shirt that night. She was buried in that shirt,” said her father.
“She would always tell her sister-in-law Bethany to not to freak out when one got upside down. She was set to go up to go Waynesfield, Ohio, in 2016 to take a ride with legendary racer Jack Hewitt in his two-seater sprint car. She ended up in the hospital all that week and got out on Friday and was just too weak to make the trip up there. Her goal later in life was to own a sprint car and see her step brother Jacob in one.”
Kristina was diagnosed with cancer in September 2014, after the doctors told her it was just pancreatitis. In the amount of time it took for the doctors to find it, it had already spread to her liver. The family can’t even remember how many surgeries she had. She tried several different types of chemo, including chemo through IV, injections, and then the chemo pill at the end. She lost a lot of her hair early on, and then proceeded to shave it all off.
“We hosted her benefit in November of 2014. At first, she started chemo in Anderson when we did the five straight days of chemo and then came home for three days and went back. We stayed at Homewood Suites and insurance/benefit money covered all of that. Then she heard about Stephanie Wagner at IU Cancer Center and switched to her. When Dr. Wagner moved to Columbus, she followed her there and finished her treatment through Columbus Regional Hospital,” recalled her father.
“She was always positive. Even when she was scared out of her mind, she was positive and strong. She spent so much time comforting others and telling them not to worry about her. She had pen pals that she wrote to that were also going through treatment. They understood her best. She fought alongside her dear friend, Lindsey Kolanowski, and they’d always encourage each other to keep fighting. Even when she felt bad, she still bundled up for the races because she hated to miss the boys racing.
“That’s where this car comes in for Jacob to get couple years’ experience, then hopefully we can get a sprint car together and make her dream come true. If she was here today, she would be with us every time we would be working on the car. I know she is here in spirit and is looking down on us as we get ready to start the season.”
The team has sponsorship from Gilpin Electric and Generator Services, Rob and Joe’s Body Shop, Creative Finishes and Dirt Bowl RC Speedway.
Born April 15, 1985 in Seymour, Mrs. Bauman was the daughter of Jeff Everroad and Dana Reeves. She married Charles “Chuckie” Bauman on Nov. 15, 2013 in Vernon. He survives.
Mrs. Bauman worked as a beautician, a dispatcher and EMT for Care Ambulance for nine years and AmeriCare for one year. She was a 2003 graduate of Jennings County High School and a member of Risen Saviour Bible Church in North Vernon. Her enjoyment was watching sprint car racing, cuddling with her fur babies — Max, Bobo and Timber — hiking, camping, fishing and spending time with her family and friends.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for the Republic. Send comments to [email protected].
